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Touching the clouds: Kat's skydive

After a tough few years following her MS diagnosis, Kat Martin stepped into the light and decided to do something to challenge herself.

She took part in our Big Blue Jump in Lancashire on 27 May 2017 along with her MS nurse, Liz Watson, and other MS Trust supporters. Here she tells us her story.

In August 2012 I was diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS and my life changed many times in many ways. I lost control of my body and that’s a hard thing to accept isn't it? I was in a very dark place for a good few years and I couldn’t see any light, or hope for a day I could smile again.

After moving to Baildon I felt at home for the first time and I threw myself into crafts. That brought me true friendships, including Gill Smith (pictured, forming Team Kat), and a place to go to feel welcomed and accepted, at Hive Bradford.

I came out from under the dark cloud and I found a brightness in myself and all around me. I felt ready to live, challenge myself, do the unexpected, and the need to experience the beauty of the world. And let's face it, nothing is scarier than having MS, so when I saw an advertisement for skydiving I jumped at the chance!

The big day

I found myself strapped into a harness, attached to a trained skydive instructor, looking out of the window of a plane at the sky in a way I didn’t think I would ever be able to. Then we shuffled to the open door of the plane, 15,000 feet up in the sky, the wind roaring so loudly... 1... 2... 3

Out we go, over the edge, to experience the fastest 60 seconds of my life! Falling at roughly 120mph, the g-force was so great my head felt close to exploding and then my instructor pulled the cord and it went quiet. The world slowed down in a heartbeat and then I simply flew.

I was swinging my legs and giggling with joy and l couldn’t stop smiling, trying to absorb everything I could see. I put my arms out and I touched the clouds as we glided through them and I felt like the luckiest person in the whole world at that moment, which wasn’t a feeling I was familiar with.

It was incredibly magical, but after my jump we discovered that the camera filming me hadn't been working properly, so I was offered either a refund or a free skydive. A refund didn’t make sense as I was there to raise money and awareness, not to get it back, so I jumped again on the 13th June and I touched the clouds once more for everybody, under the clouds, who dreams of a world without the struggle of MS.

So far I’ve raised over £540 for the MS Trust and the MS Society, which I’m really happy about, but there is still time to add more funds and provide even more help to the people affected by multiple sclerosis.